


Of Photographs and Falsified Realities

by mobilisinmobili



Series: MCU: One Shots [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Drunkenness, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Hurt/Comfort, Iron Dad, Memories, Parent Tony Stark, Past Abuse, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony-centric, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, bad memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-05-14 10:36:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14767988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mobilisinmobili/pseuds/mobilisinmobili
Summary: The photos were wrong. Not that Tony Stark would ever say.-Or-The team learns about Tony's less than stellar childhood.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A one shot idea spread over 2~3 chapters.

 

“Tony?” 

“Tony Stark isn't available at the moment. Please leave a voicemail after the-”

Pepper keyed in a few numbers into the screen, overriding the locked light control flooding the dark room with  _ too bright  _ light. 

There was a hiss of pain from somewhere in the area of one of the rootless sports cars parked near the back wall.

“That works too, I guess...”

“Oh LOOK, I guess he is here after all.” she stalked over to where Tony slumped himself to sitting position looking a little more than buzzed, going by his posture and the light scent of alcohol drifting from his person.

“Tony. You're going to be late.” 

“Didn't the party start half and hour ago?” 

“Later than you normally are.” 

Pepper rolled her eyes as she worked on a pair of pearl earrings.

Tony in turn slumped back down onto the seat of the car with an audible groan. 

“I already went to the ribbon cutting ceremony and the press conference and the photo shoot. They don't  _ need  _ me to hold their hand through the party too.” 

“You know full and well that there are gonna be reporters looking for you. It's gonna be weird if you're not there!” 

“Just say I fell down the stairs or something. I'm sure they'll love that.” 

“You can't  _ not  _ show up to the party celebrating a museum about your own family!” she sounded more than exasperated. “First of all, it's a museum about my own family so I'm pretty sure I have more power in that regard to decide whether or not I go.” 

Tony sat up once more. 

“Secondly, maybe I just find it a  _ little bit  _ creepy just how obsessively they research my family in the first place? I mean, why is it that there are family pictures that even  _ I  _ didn't know existed blown up and framed for everyone else to see? How'd they even get it to be under the common usage laws?” he muttered, tone taking on a slightly bitter edge. 

Pepper tilted her head fractionally, really observing the worn out man before her in silence. 

“And you know what? I don't need a museum full of old shit to remember. I was there.” he said it with more force than absolutely necessary.

Not that he particularly cared at the moment, head resting against the huge steering wheel. 

“Tony.” she walked over to the drivers door, getting down to eye level, arms on top of the windowless door. 

Tony didn't answer, staring hard at the horn. 

“As the CEO of Stark Industries, I'm gonna advise you to go.” he rolled his head sideways, resting his right cheek of the steering wheel while staring at Pepper like a kicked puppy. 

She took a deep breath, looking up against the involuntary stinging in her eyes. 

“But as a friend, I'll stick by whatever you decide to do.” she reached out to run a hand through his messy hair. 

“But please don't do this to yourself” she eyed the bottle of Bacardi that nearly a third empty. 

“You don't deserve this.”

Tony sat back up, eyes widening as he saw the water slowly filling in her eyes. But before he could say anything she stood back up and turned around, hastily wiping her eyes as she sped out of the lab, leaving Tony in silence once more.

\-----

It was nearly two hours into the party before he drove up to the red carpet, leaving the attendant with his keys and a hefty tip before making his way up to the entrance, flat out ignoring the flashing lights and garbled questions being screamed at him.

_ Deep breaths.  _

It wasn't much better inside. 

Inside there was music and  _ far _ too many people. But he did see Pepper in the distance, and if his drunk brain had received the right ocular signal, Pepper had seen him too, doing a double take before returning to the conversation she was in. He wandered a bit, trying his best not too look too hard at any of the photographs. 

He was present and that was what counted. No one said he had to enjoy it.. 

But the museum was  _ huge  _ and the pictures seemed endless. 

Photos of what he could only assume were his grandparents. Extended family. Photos of a time before he existed.

Childhood photos of his own parents. Wedding photos from Maria and Howard Stark’s wedding day. Their house(s). Their cars. Anything remotely connected to the Starks. Newspaper clippings. Some video footage from when Stark Industries was still a weapons manufacturing company. 

He didn't mean to stare, but he did. 

Photos from his childhood. General information about him including some surprisingly personal things he had no clue was open to the public. 

He kept wandering and kept staring, subconsciously noting the kindling of a small flame in his gut. 

Photo after photo creating elaborate and almost perfect looking lives. The flame grew. 

What few family photos he was aware existed hung up creating what looked to be a loving home with what was believed to be a warm and carefree childhood. 

In the end it was a photo of Howard and Tony at what looked to be a science competition. Little Tony, smiling, holding up a trophy as Howard stood behind, hands resting atop the child’s shoulders. What looked to be a smile on Howard.

But it hadn't been the case. It was one of  _ many  _ memories burned into Tony’s head. 

_ He was around seven at the time,personally invited to compete in the local middle school’s science competition by a encouraging science teacher. He grabbed the chance, throwing himself into his project, determined to win. And win he did. But it hadn't been enough for Howard. The prototype robot had short circuited after the judging period, and he had no idea as to why. But to kid Tony, it hadn't mattered. He had won so by default he had to be the best out of everyone there. But of course, it wasn't the case. Tony remembered the almost cold threatening weight of his father's hands and the silent car ride back home. In the end he left his trophy in the attic, along with the rest of his blueprints and prototypes, leaving them to fade away.  _

It had been a milestone for him. One of my stepping stones towards becoming the person he was today. He never asked his father to come to anything else after that unless absolutely necessary, and even then Howard failed to show ninety percent of the time. It was only a steady decline from there. 

But of course, no one really knew. 

Hell, not even  _ Pepper  _ knew the full extent of his glass castle background, and he wasn't entirely sure as to when he would feel okay with letting her know. 

Or letting  _ anyone  _ know. 

He had worked far too hard on his current persona of the genius asshole who was a little too full on himself. 

His sarcasm and biting wit were his armor. 

So when he reached an video alcove off to the side of the hall, he didn't even bother looking in, turning on his heels towards the concession stand. 

One more hour and he'd let himself go back home to the safety of the forcible repression of his memories. 

And maybe, just maybe. 

One more shot. Just for the hell of it.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony didn't even blink as lithe fingers wrapped themselves around the smooth crystal glass two thirds full of rum. He didn't even bother trying to get it back before the owner of said fingers nonchalantly flung it high off the roof, giving gravity a brief moment to do its thing before causing the glass to shatter into a shimmering puff before being blown away in the early morning breeze.

“If you're looking for a rematch it's gonna have to wait. I've got shit I have to do.” 

The man shrugged. 

“I do not come bearing ill will.” his tone was neutral, not giving anything away. 

Tony snorted. 

“Tell that to the state of New York.” 

The unusually cold May wind bit into the  _ obviously  _ drunk genius’ brain bringing a sense of sobriety to the still functioning brain parts.

“Why are you even here? And what the fuck did the drink ever do to you?” Tony frowned, kneading his eyes to try to ward off the oncoming migraine slash hangover. 

“I've come out of...personal interest.” 

“What. Taking over planets got too tedious?” 

“Partly.” 

There was no cape this time. No black and green Asgardian warrior ensemble, just a vaguely familiar black suit minus the cane and scarf. 

“Heimdall saw the most vivid sense of pain. I was sent to investigate.” 

Tony cocked a brow. “Course. Send the genocidal psycho to ease someone’s pain. Ten out of ten perfect plan.” 

Loki shrugged once more. 

“I was not planning on actually meeting the source of said pain.” He continued his pacing. 

“But as the universe would have It, I met your son.” 

Tony blinked owlishly, scrubbing  his face before holding up a hand to stop the ensuing sentences.

“You met  _ who  _ now?” 

“Your son. The spiderling. The human arachnid hybri-” 

“Okay. Okay. Got It.” 

Loki continued his pacing, linking his hands behind him as he took steady steps. 

“He's not my kid though.” 

“Children come in many forms.”

“Yeah, but he's not- I'm not- he's an intern.” 

Loki quirked a brow. 

“Training them young, I see… I suppose even heroes have to start somewhere.” 

“Not a superhero.” 

“Advanced suit, alter egos, special powers, and a penchant for truth and good will along with all of the other…  _ moral,  _ ideals. He fits the bill quite nicely.” 

Tony narrowed his eyes.

“Didn't even kick me out of your new lab.” 

He made a mental note to have a thorough search as soon as possible…

“If you so much as touched him, I swear-” 

“Just a mentor and yet so protective. I'm sure Barton could empathise.” 

Loki stopped pacing, fixing Tony with a amused gaze. 

“He looks like you, as I'm sure you have been told. A better kid than any of us were, I'm sure.” 

Tony didn't respond. 

“He was worried, you know. Very perceptive. Said you never came back from the museum.” 

Tony looked away. 

“Family is a fickle thing.” 

Loki chuckled. 

“What is mere child's play in the eyes of gods? Pathetic. It is  _ nothing.” _

Too close to home… 

“But even gods stop existing eventually” Loki shrugged.

“is this supposed to be some sort of weird pep talk?” 

“It's that's what you would like to call it. I am just making sure that I will not have to return.” 

“Fun times.” Tony stumbled as he stood, too fast for his alcohol laced blood stream. 

“Say hi to Thor for me when you get back.” he clapped Loki on the shoulder before making his way to the door. 

Loki in turn smirked before opening his portal back, but not before he heard a string of slightly slurred expletives followed by screaming. 

Yes.

Heimdall would be proud.


	3. Chapter 3

Call it luck or ex assassin esque intuition, but Sam couldn't say that he was 100% surprised by the dexterity of both Barnes and Romanov as they jumped off their seats just in time to miss one  _ rough _ looking Stark fall onto the sofa they had jumped off of only seconds before. 

“Woah. He was telling the truth…” 

Tony made a mental note to sit down and have a chat with Peter about stranger danger and why one should avoid talking to crazy psychos.

But for right now, he was content with the fact that his stomach had stopped trying to escape via nauseated vomiting. 

“Does this happen a lot?” Bucky asked with a concerned expression. 

“Pretty sure this is a first.” Nat answered nodding.

She turned to Peter. 

“This was you?” 

His eyes widened drastically as he shook his head. 

“NO. Nope. Not me.” 

“We should call Cap and Barton back now that he's here.” Sam chimed in helpfully. 

“We should all lower our voices is what we should do. Right now. Just shhhhhhh.” Tony muttered from his still splayed out position on the couch, taking a deep breath before pushing himself up to sitting position all the while fighting the urge to puke all over the floor. 

It was only three in the morning, but goddamn he knew the hangover would be  _ bad.  _

Which reminded him, it was Thursday.  

Well, technically Friday. Three AM on Friday to be precise. 

He took a deep breath, slouching against the cushioned back of the sofa before opening his eyes once more to focus them bemusedly on the very teen who had school in less than six hours. 

Peter worked up the courage to meet the gaze dead on, albeit fiddling with his sleeves. 

“I was gonna go to sleep, I swear!” 

Tony kept up his stare, feeling the early onset migraine that was bound to come from the alcohol. Or whatever was about come out of Peter’s mouth. Maybe both. But for now he wasn't sure. 

“Nat and I left the party at like ten and got some milkshakes and came straight back” 

Nat in turn nodded, nudging Buck to take a seat on the sofa, curling up herself on the end.

“Mhmm…” Tony didn't like where this was headed.

“And then I remembered I had this thing going on before I left.” 

“So that's why it smelled burnt when we got back.” Sam interjected from the armchair next to the coffee table. 

Tony quirked a brow, seemingly letting the comment go, for now..

“But it's okay! Dum-e put it out! And then I decided to start over, just the calculations and all of that. But then I checked the time and it was like two ish and then Cap came by and asked if I'd seen you and I said no because I didn't see you at the museum either” he took a breath, pausing from his high speed explanation before jumping right back in.

“So he said he was gonna go look for you because Bruce said he had a bad feeling. He took Clint and went looking for you, I'm pretty sure they're still out. And then around two forty ish this guy named Loki just portalled into the lab out of nowhere and I was like, oh my god!” Tony swore he saw Sam recording from the corner of his eye. 

“And he asked me where you were and I told him I didn't know because I really didn't know so he kinda just paced around the lab for a bit and then *he turned my notebook into this huge snake, which is still in the lab by the way” Tony narrowed his eyes, but let that pass too. 

“And then he told me to tell you that **he hoped you made it down the stairs…? Which was weird but yeah. And now here you are!” 

No one said a word for a moment. Even Tony looked like he was fighting the drowsiness to get his bearings straight. 

“But it's like three now so I'm gonna go” Peter glanced between the archway and the surprisingly unsurprised ex assassin sitting on the other end of the sofa, trying to calculate the probability of safely making a dash for it before being pummeled by said ex assassin. 

It wasn't looking great.

“You can go.” Tony shrugged. 

Peter almost bolted before tripping over his own feet as Tony continued. 

“But this conversation is nowhere  _ near  _ over.” Peter nodded sheepishly before speeding out of the room.

Everyone else on the other hand, didn't move from their seats. 

“How'd you even get he-” Sam was cut off by a sudden blaring ringtone in Tony’s jacket pocket. 

He rolled his eyes and sighed before pressing answer and bringing it up to his ear.

Only to rip it away seconds later as a barrage of angry screaming assaulted his ears. 

“Pepper. Sweetheart. I need you to stop yelling. It's like three in the morning.” 

“I don't care what time it is Tony. What do you think you're doing?!” 

“Right now? I'm currently sitting half drunk half hungover in the living room in the middle of an impromptu team intervention session. You?” 

“You're kidding…” 

He pressed for video, panning around the room at each semi amused face. 

“I was dropped here by a portal. A  _ portal  _ Pepper. Can't even make this up.” 

“If you're there, then who the heck is at the museum?” 

“The museum?” 

“The stark museum. Your museum!” 

“I'm pretty sure they closed out the museum at like one.” 

There was silence on the other end before his phone began to vibrate with sent files. 

He enlarged them to holographs, browsing through them with a whistle. 

“I won't lie, that what I felt like doing during the party, but I held it in like an adult and then drank myself away on the roof of the old Stark tower. That couldn't have been me.” 

“Are those CPS papers?” Natasha leaned in to look. 

“Old CPS papers, newspaper clippings, paparazzi photos, any thing related to Howard Stark.”

“Why would Stark have CPS papers on him?” Bucky chimed in. Any good friend of Rogers was bound to be a decent person. It didn't add up. 

“I don't know, but whoever was in charge did a number on the place.” 

“Again, I would have but I didn't. Not me.” Tony closed the photos down. He’d have a look later. 

“Alright. I'll call you back once we get more evidence. Don't talk to the press yet. Just stay inside.  _ Please.”  _

Tony rolled his eyes. 

“I'll be sleeping till like three in the afternoon so you don't have to worry about that.” 

“Don't forget to drink some water! And eat something.” 

“Will do. But before you go, can you do something for me real fast?” 

“yes?” 

“Need you to call animal control.” 

“....Excuse me?” 

“You know, the people who catch wild animals. Preferably one who deals with snakes. Big ones. Possibly venomous ones…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well darn. I guess I was wrong...  
> One shot written over 4 chapters so I guess not really a one shot...?  
> * sound like a familiar snake?  
> ** Yes. Loki turned the stairway into a portal which is why Tony was expletive ing in the last chapter~


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super angsty chapter! I promise the next one (last one) will end on a happy note!

Nat wouldn't ever explicitly admit it but of all of the morally dubious actions she'd preformed and orders she had followed, this sat uncomfortably on her wobbly conscience. 

From the looks of it, Steve and Bucky felt the same way.

Was it wrong? 

Definitely. 

Was that enough to shut everything down? 

No. They were in far too deep to turn back now. 

Hundreds upon hundreds of newspaper clippings. Video footage as well as audio snippets popped up holographically on the large coffee table, sending vague shadows of light across the living room. 

They had been at it since five in the morning, only narrowly getting through Tony’s crazy firewall into the main system.

That was an hour ago.

Peter had left for school, and Bruce had joined the team shortly after, looking more than a little uncomfortable as he realized what was going on.

“It makes sense now.” Nat said, clicking through the numerous newspaper articles. 

“Howard was such a great guy. I can't believe…” Steve flicked open yet another CPS form and winced. 

He hoped it wasn't what he was seeing because what he was seeing was a rather deep looking bruise on kid Tony’s left arm. 

“I mean, Howard was pretty stern back then, but nowhere near this sort of violent.” Bucky nodded. And while he hasn't really forgiven himself for any of the wrongs he had done, he was a bit ashamed to say that the burden of Howard's assassination sat a little less heavily on his conscience now.. 

“Apparently he didn't even go to drop Tony off at college. He was  _ fourteen _ ..” Nat read.

Picture after picture after article swirled around the frame, all looking equally conspicuous. 

“What surprises me the most is the fact that he hadn't ever been kidnapped. I mean, it would have been so easy if Howard was the way the articles say he was.” Bruce chimed in, flitting through the massive archive. 

“It's cause Howard never reported any of them.” the four froze at the sudden icy answer. 

And lo and behold, there Tony was, clad in sweatpants and an old long sleeve shirt drinking one of his green smoothies as he leaned against the door frame, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere.

He did  _ not  _ look happy. 

“But then again, I'm sure you'd come around to that little note eventually once you dug deep enough.”

“Tony-” Bruce began apologetically. 

“I'm sorry, I don't remember asking for excuses. You can zip it.” Bruce shut his mouth. 

“Why didn't you say anything?” Nat asked softly.

“What was I supposed to say? Sorry I'm such an asshole. It's because my dad hated me as a child? Does that sound about right to you?” 

He continued.

“I'm pretty sure his happiest day was when he shipped me off to MIT. He didn't like me, and he  _ certainly  _ didn't love me. He had more important things to do.”

Steve lowered his gaze. 

“No _.”  _  Tony crossed his arms. “You don't get to feel guilty because that wasn't you. That was all on him. He chose what was important to him, and it just happened to be you.” 

“And you” he laid his eyes squarely on Bucky. 

“I don't hate you. I wish I did, but I don't. That wasn't on you either. It was shitty he left early, but honestly it was for the best.” 

“Tony. You can't just keep all of  this bottled up. This was abuse.  _ He  _ was abusive.” Bruce replied. 

“I've survived until now. Haven't dropped dead from the  _ utter soul crushing sadness  _ over the fact my dad never hugged me.” There was a thick coat of sarcasm covering what sounded like real bitterness.

Tony walked over to the hologram, bringing three pictures to the center before widening them. 

It looked like a strange age progression, starting from what Bruce guessed was eight to one at thirteen and another around age eighteen. 

“I got officially kidnapped three times. But we only really counted the big ones.”

“Big ones?” Nat kept her eyes glued on the holographic photos.

“The ones where I was kept for more than three days.”

Bruce and Steve shared a concerned look. 

“He had a ‘No pay policy.” 

Tony tapped the photos to enlarge them. 

“They caught me after school. Threw me into the back of a van. They wanted money, Howard said no. They got pretty angry but I got away. Same for thirteen. This time was a bit more… violent, but Howard was dead set on not giving a shit so it was an entire week spent with the psycho. And then I got kidnapped at MIT.  _ That  _ was the one where Howard came to see me in the hospital.”

“He came to see you?”

“He came to tell me how idiotic I was for letting it happen three times.” Bruce winced. 

“So yeah. I wasn't really close to him so I've decided to just bury everything.” he shut the holograph.

“So the next time you feel like digging up private information, don't. It was buried for a reason.” 

He didn't want to admit It, but internally, the revelation of his past to the team was far less of a blow than the pity looks he was garnering. 

He  _ hated  _ it. 

“I'm not going to be a changed person just because you all figured out I had a shit childhood, so you can wipe that look off of your faces.” he glared a moment before turning to exit, hesitating momentarily.

“Also, just a side note, don't you  _ dare  _ tell Peter about this. He already stresses enough about everything.” and with that, Tony left, leaving the team in icy silence. 

\---

Tony stared down at the holographic blueprint of the newest spider suit prototype he was working on, ideas racing but unable to focus. 

He had known it would happen eventually. But it was  _ nothing  _ near what he had anticipated. 

It had hit him harder than he liked to admit, and for that he was angry. 

Angry at the situation. Angry at his crappy childhood. Angry at Howard. But mostly, he was angry at himself. 

He couldn't save himself this time. There was no talking his way out of the situation he had been in. He was angry that the layers and layers of secrets and hurts he had painstakingly buried had been dug up and practically paraded around as they tried to analyze the entirety of why he had become what he was. And to be honest, the answer was pretty pitiful. And contrary to belief, who knew Tony Stark, resident genius and all around sarcastic asshole had such a shitty childhood and that his snarky smartass persona hadn't been the default. It had grown on him as a defense mechanism, and he continued to make it rock solid. More for himself than to annoy others. 

But that was then and this was now. He was a grown adult who dealt with his demons years ago, albeit in an unhealthy manner. But he was still alive and kicking, which was what was most important.  

Not to mention that he had no time to wallow in self pity. Not with a kid around. 

Technically not his kid, but a kid nonetheless. One that had grown on him and made the bad memories stay away on most days. 

The team had all joked about It, but the more time passed the more it seemed true. 

He was the dad figure in the kid’s life, and it changed him. He wanted to be a better person. Someone he needed when he was younger because he would rather die than continue the vicious cycle, pulling Peter in to the traumatizing life he had been subjected to. 

He may have never really been loved by Howard, but he was dead set on making sure Peter never felt that way either. 

Maybe that was why he didn't say anything about the sabotaged museum. He didn't care if all of the pictures burned. Lost forever? So be it. He'd take new ones and make happier memories. 

After all, falsified realities weren't real in the first place. So, that  was what he was going to do. Go forward and not look back.


	5. Chapter 5

“Bump me one more time and I’ll rip your wheels off.” Dum-e beeped indignantly before rolling back further to build up more momentum. 

“That better be the sound of you getting back to your port.” 

It wasn’t… 

And with one last battle beep the metallic creation accelerated into the back of the stool nearly knocking the man off altogether. 

“You little…” Tony dropped his blueprint pen on the table before spinning himself around to face the insistent little monster. 

Dum-e in turn dropped the sizable package he had been holding before speeding away back to his port. 

He shot the robot a withering glare before focusing his attention on the package. 

“What’s this?” 

Dum-e beeped. 

“Alright, alright. One beep for yes. Two for no.”

Dum-e beeped once more. 

“Is it from Pepper?” 

“Beep. Beep.” 

“No? Do I personally know the person who sent this?” 

“Beep.” 

Tony quirked a brow. 

“Did they give it to you?” 

“Beep. Beep” 

“Then why do you have it?” 

There was a beat of silence before the little robot rolled over to the tables next to the door before bumping into the closest leg a few times. 

“Someone left it on the table?” 

“Beep.” 

He picked up the package and gave it a shake. 

“Heavy. Probably not in pieces… Is it dangerous?” 

Dum-e gave a whirr.

“Yes or no bud.”

“Beep. Beep…...Beep” 

“No and yes?” 

The little bot wheel itself back to its port, deciding to watch from a distance. 

Tony just rolled his eyes before grabbing a pair of scissors he had thrown haphazardly on the table. Before cutting at the tape. 

Which took a while because the sender had gone crazy with said tape. 

Not that he minded terribly. His interest was piqued. 

A few more moments of cutting got the box open as he gingerly removed what looked like a sturdy coal grey matte box. 

At least it had looked like a box within the confines of the box he had removed it from. 

He came to see that it was in fact a book of some sort, with crisp white, surprisingly thick paper bound between two sturdy black covers. 

Sort of like the covers of the official engineering notebooks the interns at Stark Industries were given… 

He shook the subconscious thought aside as he ran his hands down the sleek front cover. 

And then all in the span of half a second his hands froze, unable to get past the sudden wall of worry. 

Or uncomfortable curiosity, which was rare for him. 

Who was it from? Who would do something like this? 

A few faces popped into his mind before his brain settled on one curly haired genetically mutated teen who fit the bill a little  _ too  _ well. 

Access to a Stark Industries engineering notebook? 

Check. 

Access to his lab? 

Check.

Ability to make Tony feel all of the emotions? 

Unfortunate yes. 

And if it were anything like previous surprises he had given Tony, this one was going to be interesting. 

They always were. And the outcome emotions were normally varied so he’d really have to 100% dive in. 

But he had a  _ feeling _ , He had a horrible feeling that this little suprise was gonna make him cry. Just a little. 

Maybe a tear? 

Possible watery eyes? 

He took a deep breath before turning the cover. 

_ Mr. Stark. I know they won’t replace the ones you lost in the museum, but I hope it helps. _

It was penned in decent handwriting on the front page with no signature, but he knew.

He knew as he flipped page by page through photos he hadn’t even known existed.

Some of the team, some of himself. Some of him and Pepper. Some he had taken with Peter. Most of them genuine and candid.

Picture after picture of happiness. 

This was  _ real.  _

Not the fake shit they had plastered all over the walls of the museum. 

It was reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think Peter found out???

**Author's Note:**

> Headcanon: Howard Stark was an emotional abusive, amongst other things, parent. Not that anyone knows.
> 
> Pepper feels kinda oc. I'm sorry!


End file.
